Lost
by anniegirl132
Summary: A mysterious island shrouded in fog seems like a grand new adventure, until over half the crew suddenly disappears, captured by the only inhabitant of the island. But with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp still free, maybe there's a chance at rescue, if they can figure out what's going on before they're captured too.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This story is based somewhere between Fishman Island and Punk Hazard.**

 **Warning: cursing, violence**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters**

 **. . . . .**

The Sunny's hull broke through the waves as it drifted towards a distant island shrouded in mist. It seemed rather large and forested but not much else could be made out about it.

"Are you sure that's the right island?" Usopp asked for about the fifth time, looking at it with squinted eyes and a frown.

"Yes Usopp I'm sure. And it's the only island nearby anyways." Nami rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to smack him over the head for being annoying. It had been a while since they'd seen any land and they were running low on supplies. Despite the mist visible even this far away, giving the island a creepy look; she was still hopeful they'd be able to restock there.

"I wonder what sort of dangerous creatures lurk there…" Robin mused, smiling lightly.

"Robin, why!?" Usopp cried, falling dramatically to the ground. No one ever listened to him. Across the ship, drooped over Sunny's head Luffy whined once again for meat.

"We don't have any meat Luffy, that's why we're stopping at this island!" Sanji snapped.

"But I'm hungry," he whined, giving Sanji puppy eyes.

"Your bento's in the galley. But try and wait until we get ashore to eat it," Sanji sighed rolling his eyes.

"Food!" Luffy cheered, brightening up and leaping off Sunny's head.

"Quiet down Luffy. And everyone gather around!" Nami called out.

Nami-swaan!" Sanji noodled over to her, while everyone else meandered over in a much calmer fashion.

"We need to decide who's going to stay with the ship once we arrive. I want to make sure it's safe, so I'll wait to map it until you guys have checked it out," she explained.

"Sadly, due to a strong case of I-can't-go-on-the-spooky-island-disease, I should also stay on the ship," Usopp announced, nodding his head sagely.

"I should stay too, there's a SUPER invention I've been working on," Franky said.

"Anyone else?" Nami asked. When no one spoke up she continued, "Alright... Since there doesn't seem to be any village or town on that island you guys won't be needing an allowance. Sanji-kun, make sure you get enough food to last a few weeks, I don't know how far away the next island is."

"Of course Nami-swaan!" he flailed.

"Chopper, you should probably see if you can find any medical herbs, I think we're running low.

"Alright."

"And Luffy, try not to cause any trouble this time," she sighed.

"Aw, what do you mean Nami?" he tilted his head to the side.

"You know what I mean idiot!" this time she did whack him over the head.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the shore of the island. The mist seemed even thicker up close, and they couldn't see anything beyond the tree line. Luffy bounced with anticipation while a few feet away Usopp shook in fear.

"Are you all sure-"

"Yes Usopp. We need the supplies," Nami gave him a warning look. She didn't like the island much either, but they couldn't starve to death.

"Let's go!" Luffy tried to jump from the ship, only to have Sanji yank him back.

"Sanjiii!" he pouted,

"We need to stick together idiot. If we get separated with all this mist, it'll take forever to find each other again," he explained. Luffy gave an exasperated noise but waited for the rest of them before going ashore.

"Try not to take too long, okay? Get back by this afternoon," Nami called out.

"Of course Nami-swaan!" Sanji cooed.

"Idiot," Zoro rolled his eyes.

"What was that shitty-swordsman?" Sanji turned to glare at him.

"I said you're a dumbass ero-cook!" he snapped. Nami heard their argument slowly fade as the group made its way into the forest.

Luffy cheerfully leaded the way, singing a random song about fog creatures while only occasionally tripping over hidden roots. As they went along, the group stopped a few times for either Sanji or Chopper to inspect some plant or fruit before deeming it unusable.

"It's strange. There are so many poison plants here and almost nothing edible or useful," Chopper sadly looked at his feet. They really had been running low on herbs and he'd had high hopes for this island.

"Yeah," Sanji too was pissed off about the situation. Their food stocks had been growing dangerously low and they needed to find something edible on this island to replenish them. But that was proving to be a challenge.

Completely unperturbed by the frustration of his crewmates, Luffy continued with his song, growing louder and more obnoxious by the moment. Brook joined in, playing a little tune on his guitar to match the silly words. Zoro followed at the back of the group boredly. There wasn't much to see with the fog and he'd rather be training or taking a nap than following his overly energetic captain around this forest.

Then there was suddenly a terrified scream, from somewhere behind them. Zoro reached for his swords but before he could draw them, a blinding flash filled his vision.

. . . .

Zoro blinked open his eyes to look up at the barely discernable canopy of trees above. He shot up from where he'd been laying on the ground, looking all around him. Nothing, no one. ' _Where'd they all go?_ ' he wondered, trying to find some clue. But there was nothing, no disrupted foliage or even a broken twig aside from where he'd been laying.

"Hey! Where'd are you guys!?" he called out. He knew if there was something dangerous out there it would have heard him too, but he didn't worry so much about that. He could take on anything that came his way. Yet, aside from a few birds being startled and flying off, there was nothing. He tried again, still met with only silence.

If no one was around, he decided the Sunny would be the next best place to look. It had also been the direction the scream had come from. His frown deepened. If something had hurt any of his crewmates… He began to walk in what he hoped was the right direction. He thought he could hear the sea so he was sure he was going the right way. Besides, he didn't get lost, despite what everyone seemed to think; everything just moved.

His surroundings were eerily silent as he moved along, the only sounds being the crunch of leaves and twigs under his boots. He hoped the reason he couldn't find anyone was because they'd already went ahead to the Sunny and would be waiting for him. It made the most sense, after that scream, for them to head that way to check it out. Though, he still couldn't understand why they would leave him behind.

After what seemed to be an hour of walking Zoro was growing very annoyed. He knew the ship shouldn't be this far away, and yet he still hadn't reached it. And it wasn't helping that he could barely see five feet in front of him. The fog was strange; sometimes lightening up so he could see a few yards ahead and other times growing so thick he almost couldn't see even his own feet.

In the distance, a village came into view. The fog cleared away enough for Zoro to notice a few old and cracked buildings with moss growing over them. He cautiously approached them, looking around as more equally old buildings emerged through the fog. He wondered if the others had maybe found this place, but it was so silent and empty. There's no way it could be this quiet if Luffy were here.

As he walked through the village, he noticed a strange building in the center of the town. It was large and rectangular, with no windows and large metal double doors on the front. It looked newer than the rest, no mold coating it or cracks formed in the stone. Zoro approached the building, looking it over before raising a fist and knocking on the door.

It echoed lightly, but there was no response from within the building. He sighed, then turned and continued to walk through the village. Luffy and the others definitely weren't here. If they were he would have heard them by now. A few minutes later he made it to the other side and exited back into the forest. The trees as well as the fog was denser on this side and he had to move slower to not trip.

He sniffed suddenly, a strange metallic scent having been in the air, and one he knew very well. Blood. He stopped walking and looked around the area. Then he spotted it; several small splotches staining the ground. But that little amount wouldn't cause this strong a smell. The source had to be nearby. Placing a hand on his katana, he decided to call out.

"Hey, who's there!?" there was no response at first, but after a few moments he heard footsteps slowly approaching, and a figure began to take shape through the fog.

"Marimo?" it was Sanji. He had taken off his suit jacket and had it tied tightly around his middle where there was a large dark red stain.

"Do you know where anyone else is?" Sanji asked, coming to a stop in front of Zoro. He was a lot paler than usual.

"What happened to you?" Zoro asked instead of answering the cook's question.

He seemed annoyed at being ignored but answered anyways, "Not sure. It seemed like some kind of... monster? I didn't get a good look at it before it ran off." Zoro nodded. Maybe this monster had something to do with why they'd been separated.

"I haven't found any of the others; I was trying to find the Sunny," Zoro answered Sanji's earlier question.

"Yea, all this damn fog is making it hard. I couldn't find anything. I'm worried about Nami-san and the others," he sighed, taking out his cigarette pack. He frowned, shaking one from his diminishing supply and lit up.

"I guess we just have to keep looking." They began to walk, neither of them really knowing where to go. Usually Sanji would have made some snide comment about how easily Zoro got lost by now, but he'd been unusually quiet. Zoro knew they'd need to find Chopper quickly, or the cook just may bleed out. But neither of them had had any luck finding the rest so far… How likely was it they'd come across them anytime soon? Then a thought crossed Zoro's mind. There had been that village. He was pretty sure he remembered where it was, and they may be able to find some bandages or something there.

"Hey, I found this empty village over there," Zoro gestured somewhere to his left, "maybe the rest of the crew got there sometime after I left. Or we'll at least be able to find some bandages."

"Sure you won't get us lost marimo?" he huffed.

"I don't get lost that much," Zoro lightly snapped, turning to walk in the direction he remembered the village being. At least if he could keep the cook talking he'd be less likely to drop from blood loss; even if only to spite Zoro by getting in the last word.

"Pft, sure. All those other times were just coincidences."

"Maybe they were!"

"You got lost on a straight road once seaweed brain."

"It's not getting lost! Everything just moves around, it's not my fault," Zoro crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay, sure," Sanji smirked. Zoro shot him a short glare. Maybe it was luck, but only a few minutes late they had found the village again. Zoro tried calling out once more to see if any of the crew had shown up. But instead of getting a response, a strange looking man stepped out from a nearby alleyway.

Zoro immediately drew his swords, looking the man over. He had a thin face and scruffy brown hair. He was about Zoro's height, but had a very thin, lanky build to him.

"Who are you?" Zoro growled, narrowing his eyes threateningly.

"Woah, calm down, " the guy put his hands up, "I'm not a threat." Zoro's hands clenched tighter around his swords.

"Um..." the man faltered for a moment, "look, you two need help right? I could-"

"You didn't answer the question," Sanji cut him off.

"Oh… sorry, sorry," he smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Ketto, and you two are…?"

Neither Zoro nor Sanji answered, watching the man carefully. Something just didn't seem right about him. Zoro didn't know where he'd come from. He knew the village had been empty the last time he'd passed through.

"Okay. Well, I know where the village keeps their medical supplies. You look like you could use them," he said, gesturing for them to follow before beginning to walk. Zoro and Sanji shared a glance, then followed after. Zoro did not want to trust this man, but if he really was leading them to some medical supplies, then he knew they needed to believe them for now. Sanji wouldn't last much longer if they didn't stop the bleeding and bandage him up. Thankfully, the guy wasn't lying, and soon had them in a little infirmary with all the basic medical supplies. Ketto quickly grabbed some bandages, alcohol, and a towel before passing them to Zoro.

"Take off your shirt," Zoro said. Sanji gave him an annoyed look but complied, carefully untying his suit jacket from his waist before lifting his shirt over his head. The wound was jagged, and despite the dried blood caked around it, there was still some leaking out. Zoro frowned, pouring some the alcohol onto the towel and beginning to clean the wound. Sanji let out a quiet hiss of pain but otherwise remained silent. Zoro tried to be gentle, not wanting the wound to get any worse. Once it looked relatively clean, he began to wrap the bandages tightly around the cook's waist. He could feel the strange guy watching while he worked.

He shot the man a brief glare, which was met with a nervous smile. Once he finished, he taped down the bandage and stood back. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the cook bleeding out now. As Sanji slipped his shirt back on, Zoro turned to face Ketto. The man coughed, awkwardly looking off to the side.

"So… I have something to take care of. Um. You two can stay here, I'll be back," he made for the door. Zoro stood in his path, glaring the man down.

"Where are you going?" Zoro asked. He gave a nervous laugh.

"Um, just to my house. I have to check up on something important," he stepped around Zoro, opening the door. "I'll be back." He repeated, then left.

"Let's go look for the rest of the crew," Sanji spoke up. Even though they'd stopped the bleeding, he still looked sickly pale.

"No. You should get some rest," Zoro sighed, taking a seat in a nearby chair.

"I'm fine marimo," Sanji growled, kicking out at Zoro's head. Zoro barely ducked in time, the wind from the attack ruffling his hair.

"Sure, but it's no use wandering around when we have no idea where they are," he responded.

"I don't trust that guy. We should get out of here," Sanji frowned.

"I don't either. But you lost a lot of blood and it'd do us no good to leave only for you to pass out." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. Even if that Ketto guy was shady, they were better off waiting for now. At least when he did come back, they might be able to find out some information about the rest of the crew and this island.

"Fine," Sanji huffed, plopping down on the single mattress in the room. "Wake me up whenever that guy gets back."

"Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to everyone who has read, favorited, and followed. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Usopp peeked out from behind a barrel of cola. He listened carefully for another minute before stepping out from his hiding place in the storage room. It had been about half an hour since that person had come aboard the ship.

Usopp had been in his workshop when he'd heard Nami scream. His first instinct had been to run away. Instead he'd run towards the deck. By the time he got there, the intruder had captured Nami and Franky. Quickly he had retreated below deck before he could be seen. How was that person able to take on Nami and Franky without any more sound than that scream? There was no damage anywhere on the ship. No signs of battle or struggle. It was strange, and scary.

Creeping back on deck, he checked around to see if that person were still on board anywhere. He let out a small sigh, relaxing his tensed muscles. Thankfully, he were not. Usopp wanted to stay on the Sunny, where he knew it was relatively safe and just wait for the rest of the crew to come back, but he didn't know how long that might take and every moment he wasted here was another moment his crewmates were in danger. He had to warn those on the island about the situation so they could rescue Nami and Franky. He couldn't save them by himself.

After grabbing his Kabuto and his ammo pouch, he stepped onto the island. He stood there for a moment, gazing into the fog in an attempt to see anything past the tree line. The view was murky, with the only thing visible vague outlines of some foliage and tall trees towering over everything. The air was warm and oppressively damp, feeling almost suffocating. Definitely not a welcoming place. A small shudder ran down his spine, but he moved forward, stepping into the forest.

One hand clutching Kabuto, the other hovering over his ammo pouch, he made his way through the forest. He could barely see a few feet in front of him and had to move slowly to avoid tripping. Every little sound, whether it be a rustle of a bush or a branch snapping, made him jump. His fingers ached with how tight he was gripping his weapon while his eyes darted around, scanning the area. That's when he saw a strange person walking only a short distance away.

Usopp quickly jumped behind a nearby tree stump, nervously watching the man walk by. A malicious looking grin stretched across his face, as he stalked past. The sniper shrank back behind the stump, waiting for him to pass, barely daring to breathe until he was sure the man was gone. Once assured he was gone, Usopp stepped out and continued on his way, though even more tense than before.

He really didn't like this island, and he told the crew as much. But they didn't believe them, and now two of them had been taken, and he wasn't sure where the rest of them were. He had thought about calling out to them, but after seeing that guy… he wasn't sure what kind of dangerous people were lurking around. So he certainly didn't want to draw any attention to himself. No, it would be best to search quietly and avoid danger.

In the distance, he noticed a few buildings through the trees. A village maybe? He wasn't sure how _safe_ this place would be, but it was probably his best chance at finding the rest of the crew. Or possibly someone who could help. But he wasn't sure if he could trust anyone on this island, not after what had already happened.

* * *

Nami watched as Luffy weakly shook the cell bars, the seastone cuffs shackled around his wrists draining his power. Back on the Sunny there had been that strange flash of light and when she'd woken up, she was chained in this prison-like cell next to Luffy. She didn't know how long they'd been here, but no one had come by their cell yet.

"Let us ouuutt!" Luffy shouted for probably the hundredth time.

"Stop Luffy, it's not working," she sighed. She wanted to get out of this place as much as him, but so far there was no way. With both of them chained and nothing else in the cell with them, she had nothing to work with for an escape plan.

She was also worried about the rest of the crew, not having seen them since she'd woken up. Had they also been captured? After all, the kidnappers got both her and Luffy even though they were in different locations. But if the rest were captured, then where were they? She had looked out into the hallway past the cell bars as far as she could earlier, but had seen no one. There was another cell a short ways down on the opposite wall, but even when she'd tried calling out there was no response from within.

"Hello." Her head snapped up from where she'd been dismally staring at her lap. Luffy jumped at the man now standing on the other side of their cell, demanding to be let out. The man had a long white lab coat and thin glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He was smiling at them with a discomforting glee shining in his eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, over Luffy's shouting.

"I'm Higeki," he nodded his head at her. "I guess you two are wondering why you're here?"

"Yeah!" Luffy glared at the man.

"Shame," he smirked. "I'm only here right now to take a few notes," he looked down at the clipboard in his hands and wrote something down.

"Hey, you bastard!" Luffy shook at the bars once again before sinking to the ground. "Answer me…" he protested, trying to take a few seconds to regain his strength.

"Hah, you look like fun. My boss will really love watching you squirm," Higeki chuckled distantly, continuing to write on his clipboard.

"And those four others we got," he said, pausing his writing for a moment. Nami's eyes widened slightly. Not all of them were captured, there was hope. Even if only three of the crew was free, it was enough. They had a chance.

"Let my crew go!" Luffy growled, glaring darkly at the man. His fists were shaking where they gripped at the cell bars as he tried pulling himself back to his feet. Higeki shook his head lightly, laughing under his breath as though Luffy were some toddler making an unreasonable request.

"Don't worry, we'll get the rest later," he watched with an amused expression as Luffy slumped back to the ground once more, his strength failing him. Nami tried to keep her expression neutral. She wasn't going to give this man any more pleasure in seeing her react. And she couldn't lose hope; as long as some of the crew was still outside of wherever this was, she had to believe in them. Another man walked into the room. He was slender with scruffy brown hair and a little taller than Higeki.

"Ah boss, this is the captain and his woman," Higeki gestured to them with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, I'm not-" Nami began to exclaim.

"Hello, my name is Ketto," he smiled, "I hope you two make for good entertainment."

* * *

Usopp entered the village slowly, looking around. It looked deserted, with old cracked buildings and an almost complete lack of movement. The area was completely silent, and he wasn't sure anywhere the crew was at could be this quiet. Still, every so often he quietly called out for his crewmates. His voice broke through the unsettling silence, and he probably called out a little more than necessary just for the comfort of some sound. Even if it was just his own voice.

Up ahead, he noticed a figure leaning against one of the buildings in the distance. He immediately leapt into a nearby alleyway, peeking out at the person. From where he was, he couldn't make out much about the person, just a general outline. He crept through the nearby alleys, slowly making his way closer. Once he was close enough to make out some more detail, his fear immediately melted away.

"Zoro!" Usopp called, running up to the swordsman.

"Usopp?" he seemed slightly surprised. "Do you know where the rest of the crew is?" He pushed off the wall and turned to face the sniper.

"No… not exactly. Something happened on the ship, and Nami and Franky were kidnapped by some guy."

"Do you know what he looked like?" Zoro's eyes narrowed, and Usopp noticed him clenching and unclenching his fists.

"No… I'm not really sure. But I'd know him if I saw him again."

"Hmm… there was this weird guy in the village when me and the shit cook got here," Zoro muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, Sanji's with you? What about the others?"

"Yea, I ran into him in the forest. We were both separated from the others, and he was attacked by some… monster as he put it. I'll go get him," Zoro said, turning and walking into the building he'd been leaning against.

"A monster!" Usopp squeaked, cowering. What kind of island was this? And where was the rest of the crew? If they weren't in this village, Usopp didn't want to think about where else they might be. Best case, just lost somewhere on the island. Worst case, either kidnapped or eaten by this _monster_ Zoro mentioned. He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. He hoped everyone was alright so they could hurry away from this scary place.

Zoro came back out of the building with Sanji following behind. His shirt had a huge bloodstain on the side, poorly concealed by his torn suit jacket, and he was a lot paler than usual. Usopp's eyes widened. If the monster could do that to Sanji, what would it do to him?

"We were waiting for that guy to get back, but maybe we'd be better off just looking for him," Zoro said.

"How long have you guys been waiting?" Usopp asked.

"A few hours." At that they agreed it was a better idea to try and find him than just waiting around. The longer they went without finding the others, the more danger everyone could be in. Yet, just as they were about to exit the village, there he was.

"Hey! Uh, I thought you were going to wait for me… Ah, I see you've found one of your friends! Hi, I'm Ketto," he rambled out, reaching out to shake Usopp's hand. Usopp looked at the man closely, squinting his eyes. This Ketto could have been the man he'd seen in the woods. He did have similar features, and was the only other person on the island they knew of so far… It was better suspicious than dead. He gave Zoro a small nudge and a look he hoped conveyed his message that this was the guy.

"So, um… If you'll just follow me now."

"No," Zoro shook his head. Usopp nodded in agreement and Sanji glared at the guy. This guy was being too suspisious.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he stammered.

"We can go find them ourselves." Sanji stated, staring the man down. And they began to walk away. But Ketto ran around in front of them and frantically waved his hands.

"But you could be searching for hours! And, I know where they are so…" his grin just a little too wide. Zoro walked around him and Usopp and Sanji followed behind.

"Maybe we should check back at the Sunny for clues," Usopp suggested, glancing behind himself at Ketto as they left him behind. "I didn't look for any clues before leaving, just made sure no one was there."

"Yea… this way?" Zoro asked pointing towards where the village was.

"Obviously not that way marimo," Sanji tsked.

"Shut up ero-cook, I could be right!" He snapped.

"Actually it's that way…" Usopp pointed in the opposite direction of where Zoro had. The swordsman turned his glare on Usopp, making the sniper squeak and hide behind Sanji. They walked towards where Usopp said the ship was, going a bit slowly as not to trip over all the roots on the ground.

"So… how did you guys get separated from the rest of the crew?" Usopp asked.

"There was this weird flash of light and we heard someone scream-"

"Nami-swan…" Sanji said sorrowfully

"and then I couldn't find anyone," Zoro continued, ignoring the cook. Usopp sighed quietly. He'd been hoping that hearing their story would give him some clue as to where the others may be, but it seemed like they knew even less than he did. The whole situation was just too unsettling for him.

He glanced behind him again, to make sure that Ketto wasn't following them. He creeped Usopp out too, and the sniper felt like he had something to do with what was happening to them. After all, he was the only other person on the island that they had seen so far. He was glad to have at least found Zoro and Sanji though. They made him feel safer with all that was going on; he knew they could fight off most anything.

He was grateful when they finally made it back to the ship. The Sunny was the same as when he left it, still just as empty. Once they made it on the deck they split up to search the ship for any clues. Usopp decided to search around the deck first. He walked all around the ship, searching for anything at all that could be out of place. But there was nothing. It was in the exact same condition as when they first arrived on this island. Eventually he wandered back to the front deck and waited for Zoro and Sanji to finish searching.

"I couldn't find anything," Usopp mumbled, looking down sadly.

"I can't believe that there's _nothing_ out of place," Sanji hissed, lighting a cigarette. Zoro just silently glared into the distance. It seemed like they hadn't had any luck either. How were they ever going to find the rest of the crew if there were no clues?

"I told you guys," a sigh, "you won't find your crewmates here. Just follow me and I'll show you."

Zoro and Sanji whipped around, turning their glares on Ketto, who had just walked onto the Sunny's grassy deck. Usopp shrank back a little, noticing something different about his mood. He seemed much more insistent, and less nervous than before.

"I'm just trying to help, okay? I know where they are, so just follow me," he walked closer to them. They all tensed, Zoro's hand falling to rest on his katana. Ketto stopped walking.

"We can find them on our own," Zoro watched the man with narrowed eyes. That wasn't true, and Usopp knew Zoro probably realized that. There were no clues, no one else aside from this man to help them…

"I really don't think you can… just trust me okay?"

"We don't trust you," Sanji stated, slipping his hands into his pockets in what Usopp recognized as his typical battle stance. Ketto faltered, and Usopp noticed an almost scowl cross his face, before it returned to a more neutral expression.

"I'm sorry to hear that… but I really only want to help. If you will just let me, I promise, I will bring you to your crew," he gave a small smile. Usopp could tell Zoro was about to say no again, so he spoke up.

"M-maybe, we should follow him," he stammered. Sanji and Zoro turned their glares on him.

He lowered his voice, "I don't trust him, but he may be our only lead as to where the others are." He really didn't want to follow the guy, but he did want to find the crew. And he knew that even if this guy turned on them, that Zoro and Sanji could take him. They didn't really have any other options at the moment.

"Fine," Zoro grunted, slowly removing his hand from his swords. Sanji also relaxed his posture and they all turned to face Ketto.

"Good," he smiled.

* * *

 **Please review if you have the time. And thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro followed along at the back of the group with Ketto leading the way, and Sanji and Usopp walking behind him. He didn't trust this guy at all, but Usopp did have a point. They had no idea where the rest of the crew was and following Ketto seemed like their only lead. But if he did anything to harm any of them, Zoro would be ready to take him out. Ketto turned his head – almost as if sensing the animosity- to give them all a cheery smile; Zoro glared in response.

"Where are you leading us?" Zoro asked. While Ketto had repeated over and over that he knew where the crew was, and that he'd show them, he never mentioned an actual location. For all they knew, this man could be leading them straight into a trap.

"What do you mean? To your crew, of course," he chuckled.

"I mean the location," Zoro growled. Was he messing with him?

"Oh..." Ketto awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "well it's hard to describe, but it's just this way," he pointed in the direction they were all walking.

Of course he couldn't describe it. It must be a trap. Zoro was ready to just end this here, but there was still that off chance they really were being led to the rest of the crew. Even if it did end up being a trap, Zoro knew, between the three of them, they could handle it. The risk was worth the potential reward.

The fog had been slowly growing thicker the longer they walked on, and after a while Zoro couldn't see much of anything. The only indication he was even still following the others were the sounds of their footsteps, though even those were quiet. Then he tripped over a hidden root and smacked face first into the ground. He grumbled under his breath, pushing himself back to his feet and spitting dirt out of his mouth. Reaching up, he pulled a wet covered leaf off his forehead with a scowl.

"Oi, wait up," he said, no longer hearing any footsteps. But he got no response.

"Hey!" he called a little louder, still with no result. Had they really gotten that far away in the short time he'd been on the ground? He started walking in the direction he remembered they had been going, a bit more briskly than before. There was more risk of tripping again, but he didn't want to leave them alone. Not when that guy could turn on them at any moment. Sure, he trusted Sanji - he grudgingly had to admit- to handle anything that may happen. And even Usopp could handle his own against some pretty strong enemies. But it would still be better if Zoro were there. He didn't want anyone getting hurt because he wasn't there to help.

* * *

"Hey, where'd Zoro go?" Usopp asked, stopping to look around. Sanji also paused, looking behind them at where the swordsman had been. There was nothing, not even a sound or a rustle of plants.

"I'll bet he got lost. Again," Sanji sighed, turning to walk back where they'd came from.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Ketto asked, reaching out after them. Sanji glared at him, blowing out a stream of smoke.

"To find our lost marimo."

"That's not really that important… right? I'm showing you to the rest of your crew," he insisted, seeming almost agitated.

"If we don't go back for him now, he'll be harder to find," Sanji reasoned. He and Usopp began to walk away, but before they could go out of sight, Ketto ran after them.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. I really think it'd be best for me to bring you to your crew first, they've been looking four you too," Ketto tried to block their path. But they simply walked around him, Sanji watching him cautiously.

"We're going to find him first."

"F-fine," Ketto mumbled, staring at his feet, "we can find him first. But let's just hurry."

At this point Sanji knew it would not be a good idea to go where Ketto wanted them to. He had been nothing but suspicious since they met him, but now it was on a whole new level. The way he absolutely insisted that they follow him. The almost desperate tone in his voice and persistence in getting them to listen.

Besides, Sanji knew that if the others really had met up with this guy, they wouldn't just wait around for him to bring them back. They would have followed so they could all meet up. Either this guy actually had no idea where their crew was, or he'd done something… he couldn't be trusted. It felt too much like he was leading them into a trap. As much as Sanji hated to admit it, getting out of whatever trap they were being led into would be a lot easier with Zoro around. Especially since he still felt slightly light headed from all the blood he'd lost earlier.

"What was that?" Usopp suddenly squeaked, jumping to hide behind Sanji. He stopped and listened, now noticing a faint rustling coming from the foliage up ahead. Then a low growling noise rumbled from the same direction.

"Oh no…" Ketto's face went pale, "we need to get out of here, now!" he turned and ran. Only seconds later large yellow eyes became visible through the fog, followed by a large almost bear like body. The creature snarled, its off-white teeth grinding against each other in a grating sound.

"Shit," Sanji cursed, narrowing his eyes at the beast. This must have been the thing that attacked him earlier. He had been hoping not to run into it again.

"Usopp, run," Sanji lit a cigarette, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The sniper was trembling so hard it was clearly visible, but he did not move from his spot.

"N-n-n-no!" he stutter, shakily pulling out his weapon.

"Usopp, I don't have time to argue with you," Sanji ground out, briefly turning his glare to the sniper. He didn't want Usopp to get hurt like he already had, and they had no idea what this beast was capable of. It would be best if he could just face it alone.

"I-if I run away now, I'll n-never become a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp stared wide eyed as the monster stalked closer and closer to them. Sanji sighed, blowing a long stream of smoke from his mouth. He couldn't get in the way of his nakama's dream.

The beast lunged at them and Sanji jumped a few feet away, while Usopp skittered behind a nearby tree, loading a few tabasco stars into his Kabuto. He launched them out, hitting the beat right in the eyes. It let out a screeching sound, swinging its large claws all around.

Sanji dodged the swipes, jumping up and slamming his foot into the beast's neck. It barely flinched, only continued to blindly swing while making that awful noise. Sanji quickly put some distance between it and himself, examining the creature. It must be very strong or have some sort of armor to barely even flinch at his attack. He was still feeling a little lightheaded; the best tactic might be to…

"Usopp," he called out, "let's scare this thing away!" He wasn't entirely sure how to go about this, the monster didn't look easily startled, but it was their best option. He had a feeling they wouldn't be able to outrun it either. Yes, this was definitely their best option.

"Alright!" Usopp responded, digging around in his ammo pouch. He then quickly loaded his Kabuto and launched the ammo at the monster. Gunpowder exploded in its face and it let out another howl. Sanji's eyes widened. He had a plan.

"Do that again!" he shouted, beginning to spin as fast as he could, feeling his feet flame up. Usopp hit the beast once again with his gunpowder ammo, and Sanji launched himself through the air towards it, smashing his flaming foot into its face. The fire and powder combined in an explosion, sending him flying back through the air. He tumbled across the hard ground for several feet, rolling to a stop.

"Shit…" he cursed, painfully climbing back to his feet. The monster was still standing and glaring him down, its face smoldering. Sanji prepared to attack once again, when it suddenly turned and ran off.

"I-It worked!" Usopp exclaimed, running up to Sanji.

"Yea…" he stared at the spot where it had disappeared into the woods. That monster had some ridiculous armor, or endurance. Either way, it could take a lot of damage and seemed completely unfazed by it. He wasn't so sure they actually scared it off. More likely, it decided they weren't worth the trouble at the moment. He frowned.

"Let's head back to the village," he finally said after a while. Ketto had fled before the fight, and they still hadn't found Zoro. It seemed like the most likely place to find both of them. Maybe then they could finally make it to the rest of the crew and be off this damn island.

* * *

Nami's head snapped up when she heard footsteps echoing down the hallway towards the cell. Luffy also perked up, tiredly pulling himself into a sitting position next to her. She'd been wracking her brain, trying to think of anything that could help them escape this place, but she'd had no luck yet. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Higeki come into view. The chains rattled around her wrists as she stood up to glare him down.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"A physical examination. It'll be important later," he had his clipboard held against his chest along with what seemed to be some measuring tape. Nami's eyes widened slightly as she watched him pull a key out of his pocket and begin to unlock the cell door. This might be her chance. She could rush him; push her way out of the cell, fight.

The second the door was open she ran, charging straight for the man. But faster than she could see, his hand shot out, grabbing the chain between her wrists. She gasped as he slammed her hard against the wall, locking her chains into a hook above her head.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, staggering to his feet. Higeki chuckled, doing the same to him, before going back and closing the cell door.

"You two sure do have spirit," he hummed. "I'm just here for some measurements now, there will be a more in depth examination later," he walked over to Luffy, wrapping the measuring tape around his chest. Luffy shouted and even tried to bite him several times, but the man continued on with his examination like nothing was happening.

Nami watched carefully, trying to notice anything about this man she could use against him, anything to help them escape. She gave and experimental tug on her cuffs. They didn't budge from where he'd hooked them into the wall. But her feet weren't chained. She was nowhere near as strong as someone like Sanji, but if she could kick this guy just right she might be able to do enough damage to knock him out. She waited, trying not to give away her plan in her expression until finally Higeki finished with Luffy and made his way over to her.

He was in front of her, about the wrap the measuring tape around her waist, when she struck out, kicking her leg out for his head. Almost casually, he reached a hand up and caught her ankle, before throwing her foot back to the floor. He stepped uncomfortably close, standing on her feet, and leaning into her. His hand shot out, roughly gripping her chin between his thumb and index finger.

"That's cute. You thought that would actually work against me," he sneered, his breath ghosting over Nami's face. She jerked her chin away, gritting her teeth. He suddenly, put more pressure on her feet, nearly grinding the heels of his shoes into them. She winced, trying the pull them out from under him.

"Hey, stop that!" Luffy yelled, tugging at his chains and completely ignoring the way they dug into his wrists.

"You won't be trying that again, right?" he gave a vicious twist of his heel. She bit her bottom lip to hold in a pained sound, meeting his eyes with her glare. He wrapped the tape measure around her waist. He stepped back for a moment, as he wrote something down. He moved back onto her feet, this time wrapping the measure around her chest.

"Hey watch it!" she snapped as one of his hands _squeezed_ on her breast. He just smirked at her, doing it again. She brought her knee up, this time making contact. He stumbled back a few steps, giving her an evil look.

"I thought I told you not to try that again," he hissed, reaching out and slapping her hard across the face.

* * *

Zoro had wandered back into the village. He'd been unable to find them again and figured this would be the best place to wait for them. He slowly walked through roads, gazing at the old empty houses. Then he saw that building again; the one that was larger and looked newer than all the others. Except this time the door was open.

Zoro frowned, walking up to the ajar door and peeking inside. He couldn't see anyone inside, but he still rested a hand on his swords as he stepped inside. The lights had been left on, completely lighting up the sterile white room. There were metal tables set up all over the single room overflowing with stacks of papers. A quick glance showed what looked like various medical charts and other scientific papers. Zoro didn't really understand much of it.

But the back wall was what caught his attention the most. It was covered with various bounty posters, though most of them low bounty and barely known pirates. But what was strange was the large green check covering drawn across all of them. In the table just under them, he saw another small stack as he approached.

His eyes widened. On the top of the stack was Luffy's bounty poster, a large green check across his face. He quickly flicked through the posters. It was their entire crew, all of them with large green checks except for himself, Usopp, and Sanji. His teeth ground together and he clenched the papers tightly in his hand. That guy – he knew it was him, he was the only one on the island- was doing something to their crew. He must have them somewhere. And right now he was leading Sanji and Usopp to that same place.

He threw the papers down and dashed from the room. He had to warn them.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! And please leave a review if you can, I love all feedback.**


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